A few decades ago nearly every country singer had at least one–often more–gospel albums in their catalog. Today, aside from gospel veteran Amy Grant, who balances the sacred and secular, and Randy Travis, that concept has long faded. For Alan Jackson, however, treating the musical past as present has been a way of life, […]
As a piece of propaganda, James Blunt’s album Back to Bedlam does more for changing the face of the British Army than a series of television adverts ever could. Swapping a rifle for a guitar, the former cavalryman’s ballad-heavy debut is a clearly aiming to win the battle for the public’s hearts and minds. […]
Admit it: If you had to pick an artist to give voice to the wackadoo thinkings of a monkey beloved by most of the American populace over age 3, you could do a lot worse than Jack Johnson. Black Eyed Peas? Too hyper. Death Cab for Cutie? Too ironic. They Might Be Giants? Too […]
The English-language Oral Fixation Vol. 2 finds Shakira reclaiming some of the bite she showcased on 1998’s smashing Donde Estan Los Ladrones? The Colombian rock goddess is making up for lost time: this is her second disc of new material in 2005. It’s quite a feat, considering the four-year gap since Laundry Service, her […]
While the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan now seems a faint memory from hip-hop’s ’90s era, Ghostface has become a one-man force in maintaining the vitality of the Clan. The way he opens Fishscale with the frantic, hyperactive “Shakey Dog,” is all the evidence you’d need to see how Ghost is that rare MC […]
T.I.’s (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) fourth album is “King” (2006). Atlanta’s T.I. provides an eighteen track release which features appearances from U.G.K., Jamie Foxx, BG, Young Jeezy, Young Buck, Young Dro, Pharell, Common, Governor and P$C. T.I. gets the album started with “The King Back”, laying claim to the game. On the single “What […]
Individuality and true musical greatness are marked by an artist who follows his own intuition, without being influenced by other people’s expectations; Ritchie Blackmore’s integrity may occasionally seem strange, if not indeed doubtful to many a Deep Purple and Rainbow fan but it shows that he is one of the best and most exceptional […]
“There are swaggering bands, bands who are in your face. And then there are bands who get hold of you somewhere else. I think it’s a heart thing, an intimacy thing. Like you know them and they know you. I think we are one of those bands.” So says Snow Patrol singer and chief […]
UK pressing. Morrissey, the elder statesman of British popular music, returns in 2006 with ‘You Have Killed Me’, the first single lifted from the album Ringleader Of The Tormentors, probably his best solo work to date. Written by Morrissey and Jesse Tobias, this enhanced single features the title track backed with ‘Human Being’ & […]
The new Streets album The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living, out April 25th, is a completely autobiographical record that covers everything that has happened to Mike over the past few years since he’s become a well known figure in the UK. There’s love, loss, scandal, violence, sex, drugs and a whole load […]
Some music is celebrated for its elegant subtlety; Pink’s slams you over the head. Four albums in, she’s not changing her formula. I’m Not Dead touches on bulimia (”Stupid Girls”), war-mongering politicians (”Dear Mr. President”), teen angst (”Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self,” “Runaway”), overheated pickup artists (”U + Ur Hand”), and gross […]
Split onto two discs, these 18 songs could have fit on one. It’s a testament to Harper’s aesthetic sensibilities that it is so configured, thereby both avoiding the scourge of the overly long album and dividing the raw, pummeling rockers from the ballads. With his band, the Innocent Criminals, he tears into such songs […]
Add 3121 to the mounting pile of evidence: Prince is the black Beck. He’s a whole lot sexier, no doubt, but there’s more to both musicians than image. All-out weirdness for one. Edginess for another. And a fine-tuned sense of how to combine the two to create some of the decade’s most vital music […]
David Gilmour’s solo career hasn’t exactly been creatively restless; this is but the third album by the Pink Floyd guitarist, and first in 18 years. But that seemingly lackadaisical career ethos hasn’t prevented Gilmour from producing some of his finest work here, an album whose soaring, lyrical guitar lines will be familiar to Floyd […]
